I, the Knight King, wield my sword for my myriad subjects.

Page 51

For the first time, he felt a sense of helplessness regarding the control of waveguide power.

It feels like drowning; no matter how much you struggle, it's all in vain.

Driven by the instinctive fear of drowning, Gao Wen was the first to let go.

He couldn't help but look at the boy, who was half a head shorter than him, with the same look he had when looking at a monster.

Seeing Gawain's discomfiture, Lancelot's lips unconsciously curved into a smile.

Then, he explained to everyone the azure wave power surging like a tide in his palm:

"After advancing to the Black Iron rank, I learned that my Knight Breathing Technique is called 'Lake Heart Breathing Technique', and with Captain Leon's help, I comprehended my unique Lake Wave Guidance characteristics."

My Lake Aura can weaken other Riders' control over and perception of their own Aura power.

At this moment, the butler Leon also stepped forward. As the one who had given Lancelot his special training, he added:

"Lake Wave that Lancelot activated at the early stage of the Iron Rank also has a strong weakening effect on my mid-stage Silver Rank wave power."

I had planned to share this shocking news with you after you returned, young master, but it seems that's no longer necessary.

Look at Arthur.

After listening to Lancelot and the butler Leon's explanation, his furrowed brows immediately relaxed.

Arthur finally understood why Lancelot's azure waveguide gave him a familiar feeling.

At this moment, the scene of Gao Wengang testing the power of the fake Holy Sword with him on the grass outside the alchemy workshop flashed through his mind.

Arthur recalled how a dark blue sword light had helped them escape when Gawain triggered the fake Holy Sword's defensive mechanism and unleashed an uncontrollable energy explosion.

It was only after witnessing that deep blue sword light that Arthur felt a sense of familiarity with Lancelot's Lake Wave.

With this in mind, Arthur's thoughts turned back.

He glanced at the two knights who were loyal to him.

Arthur saw a look of dissatisfaction on Gawain's face; clearly, he was very unhappy with his performance after realizing what had happened.

Arthur looked at Lancelot again, and he was not proud of his successful counterattack against Gawain's probing. His eyes could not hide his doubt about the oath of loyalty that Gawain had made.

Seeing this, Arthur shrugged and temporarily suppressed the possibility of a relationship between Lancelot and the Lady of the Lake mentioned by the alchemist Merlin.

Because he realized that he needed to deal with the relationship between the two people first.

The best way to resolve this conflict is to fight it out.

So Arthur stepped forward and took their hands:

"I see that you all seem to dislike each other, so let's go to the barracks and have a showdown."

-----------------

Arriving at the barracks behind Blackrock Fortress.

Arthur designated a very open battle area for Gawain and Lancelot.

First, Lancelot enters.

He wore light armor, held a round shield in his left hand and a fine iron sword in his right.

Immediately afterwards, Gao Wen entered the room.

He first entrusted the fake Meteorite Holy Sword to Arthur for safekeeping, and then chose the half-meter-long ordinary iron-grade short sword that had been with him until now as his weapon, along with the same light armor.

"This battle will end when it's over. Of course, if you don't want it to end when it's over, there will be outsiders who will know the situation and 'help' you end it when it's over."

After both sides entered, Arthur, who was watching alongside his butler Leon, briefly explained the rules of the battle and then loudly announced:

"The battle begins!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Gao Wen made the first move.

Because it is currently afternoon, Gawain's current realm has temporarily jumped to the late stage of the Black Iron rank due to the blessing of the Lv.4 "Blessing of the Sun".

Therefore, Lancelot in the early stages of the Black Iron rank would lag far behind Gawain in terms of pure strength and speed.

Before Lancelot could react, Gawain had already thrust his short sword into Lancelot's vicinity.

At this moment, Gao Wen activated the "Solar Breathing Technique," and the solar waveguide he generated had already enveloped his sword blade.

So he swung his sword, now stained with a fiery white light, aimed at Lancelot's chest, and unleashed a simple yet powerful wave-guide slash.

Lancelot raised his shield to defend, and he also activated the "Lake Breathing Technique" in time, activating his own lake wave to wrap around the round shield and amplify its defensive performance.

Ultimately, Gawain's Solar Wave Slash struck Lancelot's Lake Wave Amplification Shield, creating only a shockwave that knocked Lancelot back a few steps, but did not cause him any damage.

Gawain was not discouraged by this, but continued to launch an attack by relying on the power and speed advantage of his temporary realm.

Lancelot quickly recovered from the shockwave's effects.

Faced with Gawain's swift offensive, he quickly raised his round shield and simultaneously raised his iron-grade sword, assuming a counterattack stance.

Next.

The two engaged in close-quarters combat for more than a dozen rounds.

In this protracted close-quarters battle, Lancelot gradually overcame his disadvantages in strength and speed.

Unlike Gawain, who was born a wandering knight, Lancelot underwent rigorous combat and tactical training under Arthur.

Therefore, he keenly observed that Gawain's fighting and swordsmanship were simple in form and his breathing was disordered.

Lancelot gradually mastered Gawain's attack rhythm.

He quickly seized the opportunity of Gawain's attack, successfully blocking Gawain's slash and putting him into a brief state of stun.

Lancelot seized the moment and launched a counterattack.

He then wielded his ordinary iron-grade longsword, amplified by the azure waveguide, and unleashed a waveguide slash towards Gawain's vulnerable abdomen.

Gawain was hit by his Lake Wave Slash and was sent flying backward in mid-air.

Gawain, having suffered a setback, stood up from the ground, his face showing a defiant, gritted-teeth expression.

In fact, he could already sense the gap between himself and the boy in terms of combat skills.

But Gao Wen's strong competitive spirit wouldn't allow him to admit defeat.

So he got up again and charged at Lancelot once more.

Upon reaching the opponent's close range, Gawain channeled his solar wave guide into his arms and then unleashed a powerful slash at him.

This time, Lancelot seemed to be infected by Gawain's fighting spirit. Instead of dodging or blocking, he discarded his round shield and chose to wield his sword with both hands.

He then unleashed the remaining Lake Wave within his body, channeling it all into his arms, and like Gawain, unleashed a full-force frontal slash.

"boom!"

Soon, the weapons in their hands clashed, producing a sharp, piercing metallic clang.

"Click! Click!"

Finally, with the almost simultaneous sound of weapons shattering, the battle came to an end.

The moment their weapons shattered, Gawain and Lancelot seemed to reach their physical limits at the same time.

Soon, their consciousness was dominated by the fatigue from their limbs and torsos, and almost simultaneously, their legs gave way and they knelt on the ground.

After Gawain and Lancelot knelt down, their bodies immediately leaned forward.

At that moment, their foreheads happened to touch, supporting each other's bodies and preventing them from falling completely.

And so, the two of them just looked at each other.

"Hahaha!"

Seeing this pathetic scene, Gao Wen was the first to burst into unrestrained laughter.

Lancelot was quickly infected by Gawain's cheerful mood and couldn't help but burst into unrestrained laughter as well:

"Hahaha!"

Not far away.

As bystanders and mediators in this battle, Arthur, upon witnessing this scene, asked his butler Leon:

What do you think of my two knightly subordinates?

"He looks a lot like the young master."

Butler Leon didn't finish his sentence; he added three more words—"They're all very stubborn."

But Arthur seemed oblivious to the butler Leon's implied meaning, and he narcissistically remarked:

"Given such a high rating?"

The butler, Leon, was speechless and did not respond further.

Chapter 59 The Forging Workshop is Completed

After the battle between Gawain and Lancelot.

The two became friends after a fight, and temporarily resolved their conflict.

Next.

Arthur had his butler Leon settle the two men who had fought without restraint and were exhausted, while he rode on his black-haired horse Nightshade and headed towards the villages of Rising Wind and Cold Mist, which were near the Northern Wilderness.

He had made a promise with Lani and Lawson, the Thunder Badger Knight, in Rinfeng Village and Hanwu Village, that he would return to Windpure as soon as possible after finishing his business there.

It wasn't just because of Lani's request; as the lord of Blackrock Territory, Arthur didn't want to miss the second step in his territory's development plan—the completion of the forging workshop.

So Arthur pulled on the reins of his black-haired horse, Nightshade, conveying to his companion his eagerness to travel to Windwind Village and Mist Village.

"Ang~"

Sensing its master's urgency, the black-haired horse Night Shadow let out a spirited neigh and then galloped wildly towards the direction of Linfeng Village and Hanwu Village.

After advancing to the ranks of second-tier magical beasts, its speed and stamina were greatly improved.

What used to take three hours has now been reduced by a third.

So, two hours later.

Arthur and Mo Binma Yeying entered the extremely cold, snow-covered region where Linfeng Village and Hanwu Village are located.

After several days, Arthur peered through the white mist and saw a large forging workshop rising from the ground in the open area between the two nearby villages.

"It seems I still missed the completion of the forging workshop."

Gazing at the towering buildings in his field of vision, Arthur murmured to himself.

However, he was not upset about missing the completion of the forge. Instead, he admired the manpower mobilization and organization skills of the Thunder Badger Knight Lawson and Lani, who completed this huge construction project in just a few days.

So Arthur spurred his horse onward and set off in that direction.

Soon, he passed through Linfeng Village and arrived in front of the large forging workshop, finally able to see its full appearance.

It is a rectangular fortress built of stone walls. Although you can still see the marks of new chiseling in the gaps of the walls, they have been stained with mottled iron color by smoke.

Shift your gaze from top to bottom:

The roof is covered with double-layered black slate tiles, with lead sheets lining the edges, and melted snow water drains down the gutters.

Several thick chimneys were stuck in the middle of the stone wall, spewing out red flames and gray smoke.

The corner of the stone wall was surrounded by a low rammed earth wall, inside which were piles of black charcoal, which were the fuel needed for forging.

At this moment, the main entrance to the alchemy workshop was open, and an old man familiar to Arthur walked out from inside.

The old man's hair was as white as frost, and his weathered face was etched with wrinkles from the passage of time, but his back was straight, and his eyes were bright, radiating a vigorous light.

As soon as the old man stepped out of the alchemy workshop's main entrance, he noticed Arthur watching him from a distance.

"The lord has returned. Did the deal with that alchemist go smoothly?"

This old man was none other than Lawson, the Thunder Badger Knight, the forge master appointed by Arthur.

Arthur approached Lawson, nimbly dismounted from his horse, Nightshade, and extended a hand to the elderly man, whose strength was comparable to that of his butler, Leon, in a handshake.

"Yes, this transaction with Mr. Merlin went very smoothly and yielded great results."

"Oh? Now that you say so, my lord, I'm quite curious about what this great gain is."

Upon hearing this, Lawson immediately became interested. He stepped forward, shook Arthur's hand, and accepted his handshake.